Soil series profile

Hiland soil series

Hiland is a well drained soil with a sandy clay loam surface, mapped on 641,512 acres in 15 counties across 2 states. Hydrologic group B.

#389 by mapped area fine-loamy Ustic Haplargids (Aridisols)

Drainage class: Well drained
Hydrologic group: B
Typical topsoil pH: 7.0
Mapped area: 642k

Typical Hiland profile

Texture and pH by depth

Depth to scale. More strongly shaded layers hold more clay. Horizon names are the soil survey's (A = topsoil, B = subsoil, C = parent material).

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Typical Hiland horizons (representative values)
Depth	Texture	pH	Clay	Sand	Organic matter
0–3 in (A)	Sandy clay loam	7.5	23%	59%	1.5%
3–24 in (Bt)	Sandy clay loam	7.5	28%	55%	0.75%
24–79 in (Bk)	Sandy clay loam	8.5	20%	61%	0.25%

Representative values from the most extensive Hiland map unit (Hiland-Bowbac complex, 6 to 15 percent slopes, survey area WY709). Other map units of this series vary within the series range.

Stock photo for illustration, not a sample of this soil series. Credit on the Sources & method page.

What this means

What Hiland soil means for gardens, lawns and septic systems

For gardens

Typical topsoil in Hiland soils is neutral: pH 7.0 (most land between 7.0 and 7.6), the range most vegetables, flowers and lawn grasses prefer.

Loamy topsoil (loam, silt loam and similar) covers 86% of mapped Hiland acres: generally the easiest soil to garden, holding moisture without staying waterlogged. The most common surface texture is sandy loam (39% of mapped Hiland acres).

>99% of mapped Hiland acres is moderately well to excessively drained, which suits most garden plants.

For lawns and yards

Most land is in hydrologic groups B and C, where rain soaks in at a moderate pace.

For a septic system

For conventional septic absorption fields, NRCS rates 6% of the acres in mapped Hiland soils very limited, 66% somewhat limited and 28% not limited.

Only a licensed site evaluation or perc test at the actual lot decides whether a system is allowed and which design.

Generated from the mapped numbers above using fixed rules, not a site visit. See how these notes are written.

Where Hiland soil is found

Mapped acres

Hiland is mapped in Wyoming and Montana.

Counties with the most mapped Hiland soil
County	Acres	Share of county land
Converse County, WY	224,187	9.0%
Natrona County, WY	201,367	5.9%
Campbell County, WY	85,095	2.8%
Fremont County, WY	38,626	1.1%
Park County, WY	27,014	1.7%
Niobrara County, WY	15,428	0.9%
Hot Springs County, WY	12,739	1.3%
Johnson County, WY	12,030	0.5%
Platte County, WY	9,950	0.8%
Weston County, WY	8,088	0.5%
Sheridan County, WY	6,575	0.4%
Big Horn County, WY	212	0.0%
Crook County, WY	197	0.0%
Powder River County, MT	5	0.0%
Goshen County, WY	1	0.0%

Septic absorption fields

NRCS rating, share of Hiland acres

Not limited 28%

Somewhat limited 66%

Very limited 6%

Not rated <1%

Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Hiland acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Septic tank absorption field rating across mapped Hiland acres.
Category	Share of acres
Not limited	27.5%
Somewhat limited	66.2%
Very limited	6.2%
Not rated	0.1%

Drainage, water table and flooding

Share of Hiland acres

Depth to seasonal high water table: None reported within about 6.5 feet (median where reported).
Flooding: Not mapped as flooding on most acres.
Slope: Typically 3–11% (median 5%).
Topsoil organic matter: Median 1.5%.

Drainage class

Excessively drained 0%

Somewhat excessively drained 0%

Well drained >99%

Moderately well drained 0%

Somewhat poorly drained 0%

Poorly drained 0%

Very poorly drained 0%

Not rated <1%

Drainage class across mapped Hiland acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Drainage class across mapped Hiland acres.
Category	Share of acres
Excessively drained	0.0%
Somewhat excessively drained	0.0%
Well drained	99.9%
Moderately well drained	0.0%
Somewhat poorly drained	0.0%
Poorly drained	0.0%
Very poorly drained	0.0%
Not rated	0.1%

Hydrologic soil group

A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly) 0%

B: moderate infiltration 95%

C: slow infiltration 4%

D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet) <1%

A/D: D as is, A if drained 0%

B/D: D as is, B if drained 0%

C/D: D as is, C if drained 0%

Not rated <1%

Hydrologic soil group across mapped Hiland acres. Scale 0 to 100% of mapped land.

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Hydrologic soil group across mapped Hiland acres.
Category	Share of acres
A: fast infiltration (mostly sandy or gravelly)	0.0%
B: moderate infiltration	94.9%
C: slow infiltration	4.3%
D: very slow infiltration (clayey, shallow or wet)	0.6%
A/D: D as is, A if drained	0.0%
B/D: D as is, B if drained	0.0%
C/D: D as is, C if drained	0.0%
Not rated	0.1%

Sources & data dates

Source: USDA NRCS Soil Survey Geographic Database (SSURGO), queried through Soil Data Access. Public domain.
Data date: SSURGO as published on November 3, 2026 (most recent survey area update October 26, 2026). NRCS refreshes SSURGO each October.
Scope: All map unit components named Hiland (component kind "Series") in SSURGO: 641,512 acres.
Method: Shares are by mapped acres of Hiland components. The profile comes from the single largest Hiland component. Full methodology.

Independent reference site. No government affiliation or endorsement.

Full narrative description: USDA Official Soil Series Description for Hiland.